Switch: Pricing, Game Lineup, Specs and Nintendo’s falling Stock

And the day has finally arrived, after all the anticipation, the leaks, the rumors, the rage and the pitchforks, Nintendo’s much-anticipated addition to their hardware lineup, the Switch, is finally officially unveiled to the public in their Switch press-con straight from Tokyo earlier this day.

First announced back in October, the Switch is Nintendo’s new portable home entertainment system that can play games like a traditional console and easily switch to become an on-the-go gaming device at the same time. One of its other key features also include the removable controllers for instant multiplayer gameplay while the central display acts as a standalone, well, display.

Just like what Karen shows us here.

Innovative, exciting, new, the Switch started to become the new console to look forward to, not just by Nintendo fans but even for non-Nintendo fans as well, as the launch trailer showcased much of its capabilities and even teased game titles such as The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.

However, as much as it easily created hype, it also easily created doubts within the gaming community, as Nintendo did not bother to release any additional information, leaving many of those who anticipated begin to doubt as to what the Switch really is for and what it can really do.

Come January 2017, or to be exact, January 13, when Nintendo held its first press con for the Nintendo Switch after its announcement, revealing a lot of information regarding their new console, which includes pricing, game lineup, and some quick specifications.

And that’s just part of the problem, they revealed a lot, but not everything.

Under the hood

When the Switch was first announced it was first said that it will run using a NVIDIA Tegra chip, the GPU tech that is used by Mobile devices and Vehicle entertainment platforms, albeit for the Switch’s case, it will be modified and fine tuned to run ambitious titles such as Skyrim. Hours later, initial rumors about its specifications surfaced on the internet which included the screen’s digital resolution, storage capacity, audio ports, USB support and even storage capacity.

Today, thankfully, Nintendo graces us with official information regarding the Switch’s quick specifications which include the following:

Wait, what? That was it? How about the TV display size? What Tegra Chip will it be running on? How powerful is the processor? What’s the maximum limit for its expandable storage?

The Game Lineup

Back to its initial announcement, Nintendo had a lot of hopes up for its fans that, perhaps for the first time, we are ensured that we are getting more non-Mario and non-Zelda related titles as it listed a ton of partner developers, with big names that include ActiVision, Ubisoft, EA, From Software, Konami, SEGA, Square Enix, and of course, Bethesda which then led to a lot of speculation with its launch day game lineup (aside from the usual Mario/Zelda bundles of course).

Now back to reveal day when Nintendo did the actual announcement of the Switch’s video game lineup, one which included confirming Skyrim to come to the console sometime this year, and the console’s lineup include:

Launch Day

Legend of Zelda: Breathe of the Wild

1-2-Switch

Skylanders Imaginators

Just Dance 2017

Confirmed for First Year

Has Been Heroes

I am Setsuna

Sonic Mania

Lego City Undercover

Arms

Super Bomberman R

Snipperclips: Cut it out together!

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

Splatoon 2

NBA 2k18

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Super Mario Odyssey

Cube Life Island Survival

Rime

The Binding of Isaac: Afterbirth+

Puyo Puyo Tetris

Redout

Fire Emblem Warriors

Dragon Quest XI

Dungeon of Zaar

Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom

Shovel Knight

Xenoblade Chronicles 2

Aaand that’s pretty much it for now, no Assassin’s Creed (Ubisoft), no Call of Duty (ActiVision), heck not even a hint of a Final Fantasy (Square Enix), none of the big games from the big partner developers that were announced during day 0.

Pricing and Add-ons

And now to the most crucial part, the price. Ever since its announcement, the community, from the simplest fan, to the biggest businessmen, have debated as to what price point the Switch should fall into if it is to become a hit especially during its first year. While different price tags have been thrown here and there, many have agreed, and were even delighted when a rumor came out about it, that the suggested base price should be only at USD 249.99

Now, for the moment of truth, the Nintendo Switch will bear a price of…

USD 299.99

But it includes at least one game right? Actually, no, the price is for the base platform package alone with the inclusions being the main console with 2 controllers, the dock, joy-con wrist straps, joy-con grip, HDMI cable for your display and the console’s charger.

But how much will the games cost? Game cards for Nintendo Switch games are said to be priced at USD 60, about the same as the game titles for the Wii U. In addition to the games, a couple of accessories are also listed as add-ons namely; a pro controller (USD 69.99), extra joy-con controllers (USD 79.99/pair, USD 49.99/each), joy-con charging grip (USD 29.99), a dock set (USD 89.99, includes HDMI and Power cables), and of course a pair of joy-con wheels (USD 14.99) for Mario Kart.

Now we’re not saying that the pricing is entirely bad although for the same price range, you can pretty much grab yourself a PS4 Slim (USD 299 for the 1TB model) or an Xbox One (USD 299). But hey, the portability fixes everything right?

Nintendo’s stock market plunge.

Perhaps for the 4th major time since the start of 2016, counting Pokemon GO, Super Mario Run and the Switch’s first announcement, Nintendo has experienced another drop in their stock as its stock prices went down from reaching an all day peak of JPY 25, 085 to an all day low of JPY 23,680 before finally closing off at JPY 23,750.

Source: Google Finance

The sharp plunge is easily justified by the community’s mixed reception regarding the Switch press-con event as Nintendo still leaves a lot of questions unanswered regarding their new console. Perhaps there is hope however as the listed big-name developers and publishers may soon officially unveil their plans regarding the Nintendo Switch, with some of the supposedly soon-to-be-announced video game titles include franchises such as SEGA’s Shin Megami Tensei, Arc System Works’ BlazBlue, Square Enix’s Dragon Quest, and Switch ports of titles like Mojang’s Minecraft.

However, should Nintendo continue to be trivial regarding the Switch then it is highly unlikely that we will witness a change in reception, not only from their fans but also from their Investors.